Aix-en-Provence/Cassis (12-13April11)

Okay I really shouldn't procrastinate anymore especially since I've returned from my South of France trip for almost 3 weeks, and that my Barcelona's story is awaiting. Doesn't help that I've just started my French intensive course at Langue Onze. Classes take place everyday from 9am-1pm ; it is indeed intense! I was attending private lessons at this school with Anne until we stopped in February as she had to start work. I decided on this torturous activity only because, as most of you should know by now, I'm heading back to Singapore for good in 2 months' time. And so this would be my last chance to learn the beautiful language in the country I've come to love. I can't even express how badly I'll miss this place......

Anyway, back to the trip. We drove to Aix in the evening and went straight to the famous Cours Mirabeau. Everyone in France has been telling me that Aix-en-Provence is really beautiful but I thought it didn't look as extraordinary as I'd expected. Perhaps it was because we didn't have enough time to fully explore the area. Nonetheless, we still appreciated the clean streets, the neat buildings, and the narrow streets (deeper in) with charming lil' shops. Made an impromptu decision to dine at a place which then turned out to be one of the best tapas bar we've ever been to. Crowded even on a Tuesday night. We had to wait about half an hour for a table. Worth every single minute of it. Oh and that's also one thing that surprised us - for such a small town the night (dining) scene was really vibrant!

Name: Tapas Café

Location: 6 Place des Augustins, 13100 Aix-en-Provence

Expenditure: 45€ incl. wine

Took a friend's recommendation and drove to a small town called Cassis. Even before reaching our destination, the anticipation that built up during the scenic drive there was incredible. I took so many pictures and all of them look so good I had a hard time reducing to just 8. I LOVE THIS PLACE. We were also lucky that weather that day was PERFECT. No doubt judging from the colors of the photos. We took the Route des Crêtes which runs along the cliffs and up the mountains. When you go higher up, there are several points where you can park your car, get out, and soak in the landscape that surrounds you. We also saw a few campervans stationed there and their owners enjoying picnics. Quel bonheur! The town center of Cassis is supposed to be an excellent place to have a coffee and relax but it wasn't easy to find a parking lot so we let it pass. We then returned to Marseille via the highway instead of the scenic route.